Would you like an in-depth look at end-of-the-year fruits, and an opportunity to make gifts for family and friends? Rachel Saunders’ four three-week class at San Francisco's State Bird Provisions takes you through 8 6 different jams from start to finish. Don’t miss this very special opportunity to delve into jam with one of the country’s foremost jam experts, just before the holidays!

Dates and times: 11/18, 12/2canceled due to family emergency, 12/9, and 12/16; 10am - noon. Classes are mainly demo-style, but may incorporate a small amount of hands-on work. We recommend signing up for the whole series as classes build upon each other, but you may sign up for individual classes if you prefer.

Cost and materials: $105 per class or $385 for the series$290 for 3-class seriesexcluding 12/2 date. Students each take home 2 jars of jam per class, plus handouts from each class session. Snacks and tea/coffee provided.

Class Topics:

Day 1: Cranberry Conserves (11/18): Just in time for the holidays, we'll make 2 cranberry-apple jams: one plain, one fancy. Learn the difference between a jam and a conserve, the unique physical characteristics of cranberries and how they affect the cooking process, jam-making basics, and how to transform a jam into a conserve.Day 2: Quince Jelly & Marmalade (12/2)Canceled due to family emergency In this class, Rachel takes you through the jelly-making process from start to finish, with a special focus on how to transform quince jelly into quince marmalade. We'll make sure to cover tips and secrets to jelly-setting success, and the unique characteristics of quince.Day 3: Holiday Fruit Butter (12/9): Learn what fruit butter is and how it is made, which fruits are most suitable for fruit butter, and how to cook yours to perfection. Special focus will be placed on dealing with high-pectin fruits, adding spices and flavorings to fruit butters, and how cooking a fruit butter differs from cooking jam.Day 4: Flavor Construction with December Citrus (12/16): Our final class of the year brings jam to its ultimate conclusion by adding secondary fruits and accent flavors. Learn how to integrate citrus fruits into jams and how to build a complex jam using a simple base recipe. We'll have a full range of liqueurs and spices available, so you can express your creativity through jam!

Would you like an opportunity to learn about different fruits, flavors, and techniques for jam making? Rachel’s four-week class at State Bird Provisions takes you through 8 different jams from start to finish. Don’t miss this special opportunity to delve into jam with one of the country’s foremost jam experts!

Cost and materials: $105 per class or $385 for the series. Students each take home 2 jars of jam per class, plus handouts from each class session. Snacks and tea/coffee provided.

Class Topics:

Day 1: Intro to Jam Making (8/5): SOLD OUT What jam is and how is it made, the cooking process, testing for doneness, the jarring process, how to vary the sugar and lemon juice quantities, and how the preparation of the raw fruit affects both the cooking process and the end result.Day 2: Tomato Jam (8/12): SOLD OUT Rachel will show you how to make one of Blue Chair Fruit’s most popular flavors: tomato jam. We will also learn how to successfully incorporate a secondary fruit into a pre-existing recipe and how to add herbs to a finished jam.Day 3: The Versatile Apple (8/26): We will explore the different uses of apples. Topics include why apples are such an important fruit in jam making, what jelly is and how to make it, what fruit butter is and how to make it, and how to add spices and liquor to preserves.Day 4: Flavor Construction (9/2): We will construct two original jam flavors as a class, focusing on incorporating additional fruits and flavors. We will learn how to build complexity while maintaining balance of flavor and texture, with a full range of spices, herbs, and liqueurs to choose from!

We can hardly believe how quickly December is going -- Hanukkah's already behind us, and there are only two weekends until Christmas. Of course, we're particularly excited about our holiday party this Tuesday (12/14) as well!

Hi San Francisco! Guess what? We'll be in your neck of the woods during the holiday season!

We will be returning to the Noe Valley Farmers' Market for three days during the holiday season: Saturday November 20th, Saturday December 11th, and Saturday December 18th! This market is one of our absolute favorites, and we hope you will come by to say hello and let us help you with some holiday gift-giving ideas.

Thanks to the Noe Valley Farmers' Market for helping us arrange these special visits. We can't wait!

We had a fantastic weekend up in Mendocino, and made sure to stop at The Apple Farm in Philo on the way! While there, we sampled a number of excellent varieties, and came home with some gorgeous Flemish Beauty pears, tiny red crabapples, and two types of quince. We also sampled several excellent apples, including Northern Spy, Sierra Beauty, Philo Gold, and Fuji. We love them all, and it's so fun to taste them side by side, because they are so different from each other! We can't wait to get going on some new flavors...